


As the Earth Burns

by iamRemedy



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, First Kiss, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, OOC maybe, Other, POV Second Person, Soulmates, Tadashi Hamada Lives, Visions, Visions in dreams, no one dies, tw vomit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26643400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamRemedy/pseuds/iamRemedy
Summary: In a world where people are granted premonitions of their soulmate's death before it happens, you have a vision the day of SFIT's tech showcase.
Relationships: Tadashi Hamada/Reader, Tadashi Hamada/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	As the Earth Burns

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! This is the first one-shot I've finished in... exactly a year, I think. Good for me, huh?  
> That being said: sorry if it's terrible. :)

_A fire alarm._

_People pouring around you in a petrified blur._ _You find yourself running in the opposite direction of everyone else. Towards the flames and smoke and orange. Bright_ _orange._ _Your blood pumps with adrenaline and you're about to run into the fire, the burning building, but something stops you. Someone._ _They grab you by the arm and tell you not to go, a pleading look in their brown eyes. You insist that you have to go, you have to help._ _Then, you run in. And there's an explosion. In an instant, you can feel your skin burning, the smoke filling your lungs, your eyes tearing up._

_You hear someone cry. "Tadashi!"_

Then you're awake. You bolt up in your bed, doused in sweat. You're coughing. You can almost feel the smoke in your lungs still. You pant heavily, try to control your breathing, your heart beating sporadically in your chest. 

"Tadashi..." you murmur. 

You blink the tiredness from your eyes and pick up your phone from the nightstand, disoriented. 10:38 AM. 

The time doesn't register in your brain for a moment, still trying to figure out what the hell that dream was. Then it clicks.

" _Shit."_ You'd slept through your alarm.

You quickly hop out of bed and manage to fix your hair and throw on some pants and a hoodie in under three minutes. No time to groom; you've already missed your first class.

It's too late to take the bus, so you opt for running since your apartment isn't too far from the campus. The exercise is good for you, anyways. 

You have about thirty minutes until your second class, so you quickly grab some coffee from a local shop. While it's nowhere near as good as Ms. Hamada's, it does the job. You multitask, drinking your coffee and checking the time as you run to SFIT. Maybe you should pick up jogging as a hobby. It wouldn't hurt.

You come to a halt outside of the building, catching your breath. You don't expect to feel so uneasy by the sight of your college, but when you look up, it's like the world has stopped. Your lungs burn, fire blazing in your eyes. Everything is so _hot._

You practically rip your hoodie off, suddenly feeling too warm. You wrap it around your waist, forcing yourself to enter the building. You trash the rest of your coffee, stomach churning. _It was just a nightmare. Get over it._ But you don't, you can't get over it. It felt so real...

"Oh, there you are!" 

If you weren't on edge before, you are now. " _Jesus Christ!_ " You feel your soul leave your body as you turn, facing whoever had spoken. You're about to comment that they _almost gave you a heart attack_ but the words get lodged in your throat. "...Tadashi." 

There's a sympathetic smile on his face, palms of his hands facing out in a somewhat calming gesture. Like you're a frightened animal. Although, you kind of are. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," he apologizes. His brown eyes shine but all you can see are flames glowing within them. 

That wasn't you who died in that... _dream_. You're sure of it now as Tadashi's smile slowly fades at your lack of response. 

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." 

"I-" Your response is cut short as your coffee comes back up. You manage to make it to the trash can and expel your stomach of its contents, or lack thereof. Any energy your coffee has provided is now at the bottom of the trash can. You're hyper-aware of Tadashi's hand rubbing soothing circles into your back. Normally, you'd appreciate the sentiment but now you jerk away from his touch like he'd, for lack of a better word, burnt you. 

His eyes search your own, mentally begging for you to tell him what's wrong. Always so caring for others. "Maybe you should sit down for a bit," he suggests. "Come with me."

He gently places a hand on your shoulder, so gentle you can barely feel the tips of his fingers. Your brain feels numb, your throat sore, and your eyes tired. You don't even register the change of scenery until you're being sat down in a rolling chair, the only sound that of a closing door. He's brought you into his personal lab. There's a silence that makes your ears ring before Tadashi sighs, leaning against his desk. He takes his baseball cap off, running a hand through his dark hair then looks at you. You can practically hear the gears turning in his brain as you finally manage to tear your gaze away from the floor. 

"I figured something was wrong when you missed your first class," he finally says. There's a pause like he's expecting a response, but you simply stare at the wall behind him. "You shouldn't have come if you were sick."

"I wasn't." It's not completely a lie. "Must've been bad coffee. Or something."

"I can take you home if you want."

You look down, fold your hands in your lap, twiddle your thumbs. What can you say? _Oh, sorry about that. I just had a bad dream._ You're not a kid anymore. 

"Hey." Tadashi's suddenly in your face, crouching with his right arm gripping the back of the chair. You can't help but meet his sharp gaze. "Did something happen?"

"N-Not really." 

"We've been best friends for 6 years," he says. "You can't lie to me." 

"It's dumb, Dashi. Just let it go."

"Are you serious?" His voice is exasperated, disbelief overtaking his features. He almost looks... betrayed. That hurts more than anything. He steps away from you, dragging a hand down his face. "Unbelievable."

"Listen, I'm just not feeling good," you say, stumbling to your feet. Tadashi catches you, expression fading back to worry. "I just need to lay down."

"If something was wrong, you'd tell me," he pauses, steadying you. You don't like the way his face looks right now. You'd much prefer if he were smiling or laughing at a dumb inside joke between the two of you. "You would, right?"

"Of course." You say it without hesitation, automatically contradicting yourself. 

"Promise?" 

You gulp. "Promise." 

A smile reappears on Tadashi's face, but there's a lingering sadness in his eyes that makes your heart swell. "Good," he says. "Let's get you home." He passes you a helmet and grabs one for himself. 

You can't help but notice the feeling of eyes following you as you trail behind Tadashi. The students nearby more than likely saw the whole scene between the two of you. Just great. You don't have much time to worry about it, though, as the San Fransokyo air hits your face, goosebumps forming on your exposed skin. You inhale deeply then exhale, trying to calm your nerves. The rev of Tadashi's moped draws your attention to him. 

He nods his head to you. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." You place the helmet he'd given you on your head and hop on behind him, shyly placing your hands on his shoulders. 

"Hold on tight." 

The ride to your apartment stretches on as the wind rushes past your ears, stray hair slashing your cheeks. Tadashi's warm, especially so at this proximity. You allow your eyes to flutter shut, gently resting your head against his back. You feel his heartbeat, fingers curling around the fabric of his cardigan. _Tadashi's okay. He's alive._

_For now_ , still lingers in the back of your mind. 

Tadashi's voice comes, soft and caring. "Hey sleepyhead, we're here."

You blink the blur from your eyes, slowly withdrawing from your hold on Tadashi. Your mind is hazy, eyes drooping and lashes kissing your cheeks. You gently climb off of the moped, watching Tadashi put down the kickstand. He takes the helmet from you and rests it next to the other. The two of you enter the apartment complex quietly, Tadashi's hands tucked into his pockets as you fumble with your keys. You finally get the door open and the two of you simply stand there in silence. 

Tadashi is the first to speak up, as per usual. "Get some rest, okay? You look exhausted."

You look up at him, his trademark smile making his face glow. You're not sure what it is. Maybe there's a strange look in your eye, or maybe you're making a weird face. Whatever it is, it's enough to make his easy smile slip. He looks pensive. You're not sure what to say, so you wrap your arms around his torso and bring him as close to you as you can. You inhale deeply, the scent of coffee lingering on his shirt, filling your senses with a warmth you never want to let go of. You cling to him, arms beginning to shake at the strain you put them through. 

"Stay safe," you mutter into his chest, which vibrates with an almost confused chuckle.

His arms finally settle around you, giving you a firm squeeze. "Always." 

You hesitantly pull away, blinking tears from your eyes. "I'll see you at the showcase tonight, okay?"

"Only if you're feeling up to it," Tadashi chides. "Shoot me a text. I can tell Aunt Cass to pick you up and we can go together."

"Yeah, I'll let you know." You smile up at him, reaching up to fix his cap. "I'll see you, Tadashi."

He waves goodbye as you gently close the door. You sigh as you lean against it, sliding down to the floor. A gentle tear slides down your cheek before it's rushed along by another and then many more after that. Your entire body shakes with sobs, snot running from your nose. You're sure you look like an absolute mess right now, but you can't find it within yourself to care. It feels like hours before you calm down enough to ease yourself over to the couch. You lay down, curled into a ball, and stare at the idle television. You can see your own pitiful reflection if you focus hard enough. You eventually try to get some sleep but every time you begin drifting off, you're sent back to a showcase in flames. 

You groan as you sit up, body stiff from not moving in a while. Maybe you should eat something; you're kind of hungry now that the nausea has subsided. You use the bathroom then stick some leftover pizza in the microwave and take your phone out as you wait. 6:15 PM. The tech showcase is in an hour or so. You have a message from Tadashi from early this morning that you'd missed, most likely asking where you are. God, you're so tired. You could stay home tonight and try sleeping... but going off of your attempts so far, that's not very likely. Plus, you'd love to be at the showcase to support Tadashi's brother Hiro. Not to mention the unsettling sense of dread in the back of your mind that's practically screaming at you to go lest your dream - or nightmare, rather - come true. 

You pocket your phone when the microwave goes off and grab the plate without much thought, hissing as it burns your hand. You drop it onto the counter, mentally scolding yourself. Grabbing a soda from the fridge, you send Tadashi a text saying you'll be going to the showcase tonight. 

He responds almost immediately, _Great! We'll pick you up then?_

 _Sounds good_ , you say. 

You eat your pizza after it's cooled down and scroll through social media. After finishing and cleaning the plate off, you decide to get changed. You can definitely tell you were in a rush this morning and your hair is an absolute mess. You decide on a basic flannel tee and pants, making sure your hair is at the very least presentable. About fifteen minutes later, there's a knock on your door. 

"Coming!" you shout, already at a light jog as you finish putting on your other sneaker. You open the door to Tadashi's beaming face. 

"Hey! You all set?" he asks, watching you tie your shoelaces. 

"Uh, more or less," you chuckle. You steady yourself, keys swinging in your hand. "Okay, I'm good now."

Tadashi gently nudges you along after you lock the apartment door, stuffing your keys into your pocket. You make your way out of the complex and into Cass' truck where you notice a strange lack of the man of the hour - Hiro, of course - as Tadashi holds the door open for you. You only ask where he is after you've properly greeted Tadashi's aunt and settled in.

"Oh, Wasabi picked him up," Tadashi tells you. "I figured we wouldn't all fit in Aunt Cass' little truck." 

Cass does most of the talking during the ride over to SFIT, and Tadashi does most of the responding. He's usually good at picking up social cues, so you're glad he noticed how out of it you are tonight. You find yourself anxiously tapping your fingers together, the dread in the pit of your stomach only increasing the closer you get to your destination. If this fire is certainly going to happen, you have to find a way to either prevent it or keep Tadashi as far away from it as possible.

Tadashi leans close to you so you can hear him over Cass who's taken to singing along to what's on the radio. "You doing okay?" 

"Just thinkin'," you respond flatly. 

Tadashi nods, sitting back in his seat. 

Cass is practically bouncing in her seat as she parks outside of the institute, which is such a stark contrast to how you're feeling that it makes you feel worse somehow. You were supposed to be happy today. You were supposed to stroll into that building and support your best friend's brother. But you can't stop thinking about the fire. How it _has_ to happen. And it is going to happen tonight if you don't do something about it. 

You see Tadashi open his mouth to ask if you're okay again, too absorbed in your own thoughts to realize he and Cass have gotten out of the truck. You don't give him time to speak up, quickly scooting over and hopping out of the vehicle. Tadashi keeps a hand on your arm to help you stay balanced; you give him an appreciative smile at the gesture.

"Alright, cuties," Cass pops up, and you step away from Tadashi in surprise. "I'm gonna head in and take a look around, but I'll meet up with you when Hiro goes on stage." She wraps her arms around the both of you, and you feel warm from her affection. She gives Tadashi a chaste kiss on the forehead as she pulls away. "Love you!"

"Love you too, Aunt Cass," Tadashi says with a wave before she heads inside.

"She's so sweet," you comment as the two of you head in the direction of where the gang is waiting.

"Yeah, she is," Tadashi hums in agreement, hands tucked into his pockets. He gently nudges you with his elbow, a fond smile on his face. "She adores you, you know." 

You wave a dismissive hand - "She adores everyone." - but you can't help the bright smile that pulls at your cheeks. Cass has always made you feel like part of the family.

When you meet up with the group, Fred is ranting about the latest comic book and begging Honey Lemon to whip up a concoction that will give him superpowers. He stops mid-sentence when you and Tadashi show up, hopping off of the trunk of Wasabi's little car. "Tadashi! (Y/N)! Welcome to the party!" He gives Tadashi a fist bump then hugs you tightly. It happens so fast you don't have time to react, your arms twitching at your side as he's already moving along. 

"We all set to head in?" Tadashi asks. There's a few _yes_ 's in response, a _HECK YEAH!_ \- from Fred, of course - and a simple nod from GoGo. With that, each member of the group grabs one of the blue trash bins filled to the brim with Hiro's tech. Well, except for you. There are only seven bins left, the other five already set up inside, so you're left empty-handed. You're uncharacteristically quiet, trailing behind them as they engage in a conversation you can't find the energy to join in on. You decide to take this as an opportunity to quickly slip away, but of course, Tadashi's ever attentive and caring self notices.

"(Y/N)? Where are you going?" He looks back at you with a mix of worry and confusion. 

Then, lo and behold, all of your friends are staring at you too. Your cheeks heat up in embarrassment at the sight. "Oh, uh, I was just..." You point behind you at nothing in particular. "I wanted to... look around at some of the tech."

Then everyone's looking at Tadashi for his response. He just stands there, staring at you, thinking. "Okay, well.. make sure to meet back up with us in a bit. Hiro goes on stage soon."

You hold back a breath of relief that you're sure he'd notice and shoot him a nervous smile. "Yeah, of course! I'll see you guys there." 

You see him hesitate before reaching up and adjusting his cap with a nod of his head, then the group is walking away from you, falling back into easy conversation. A wistful pit settles into the bottom of your stomach, but you will it away. You have to focus on the matter at hand. You sigh and begin looking around at all of the tech people have brought to the showcase. You barely even focus on the projects themselves, mostly worrying about which one's more likely to be a fire hazard. In which case, all of them are if you're creative enough. 

"Hey, what are you doing all the way over here? Everyone else is already by the stage." Cass has suddenly appeared by your side as you stare intently at one student's robot that can clap on its own. Not necessarily dangerous, but you refuse to let your guard down for even a moment.

"Oh, is Hiro going on?" you ask absentmindedly, arms folded across your chest.

"Something's bothering you."

Your head snaps up to meet Cass' motherly gaze. "What? Why do you say that?"

"You've been standing here for the past ten minutes," she says, eyebrows raised. "And, you know, motherly intuition." 

You sigh, "Right."

Her face lights up with curiosity. "Alright, spill. It has something to do with Tadashi, right?"

You blush, suddenly feeling very exposed by her observation. Maybe she's psychic. "What do you, uh- What gave you that idea?" you stutter in response, your embarrassment worsening as her grin widens. 

"You like him?"

"No!" You say it way too quickly and it's so loud it echoes, a few bystanders shooting you confused looks. "That's not it at all. I just..."

Cass pulls you into a hug, almost smothering you. "Hey, it's okay, sweetie," she soothes, gently rubbing the back of your head. "You can talk to me."

"I... had a nightmare about him last night," you admit, face buried in her shoulder. You can never keep anything from her. "I guess it just freaked me out a bit."

"There's nothing wrong with worrying about the people you love." Cass pulls away, giving you a reassuring smile. "Trust me, Tadashi's been worried about you today, too."

Your brows knit in concern at this. Of course Tadashi would be worried about you; he worries about everyone. It's going to be his downfall one of these days. "Thanks, Ms. Hamada," you say quickly, suddenly anxious to find Tadashi now. "I've gotta go, see ya."

You hear a faint _call me Cass, sweetie- oh you're gone, okay bye_ as you jog towards the stage. You catch up to your friends almost instantly, slowing down to a brisk walk to seem more casual. Your heart is throbbing painfully in your chest as Tadashi's eyes meet your own, his easy smile stretching into a grin when you're at his side.

"There you are, (Y/N)," he beams, placing a tender hand on your shoulder. "Have you seen Aunt Cass? Hiro's going on in a few seconds."

"Yeah," you pant, trying to catch your breath, "she's um, she's on her way."

Tadashi gazes at you with an expression you've never seen before. He seems like he wants to say something else, but instead, he looks off at something in the distance, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. He opens his mouth, but instantly closes it when Hiro is called onstage. 

"Guess I'm up," Hiro says, voice shaking with nerves. And just like that, the spell's broken as Honey Lemon pulls all of you into a group photo, the action so fast that you barely even have time to fake a smile. With a cheer of _Hiro!_ , they each disperse to set up the blue waste bins where needed. You're left standing there like a fish out of water. You turn around to see if you can talk to Tadashi, but he himself is giving Hiro a short pep talk, so you hesitantly join the small crowd by the stage to wait. 

Hiro's introduction was a bit shaky, but after he took time to breathe, the rest of the presentation went smoothly. While the others congratulate him on a job well done, you brainstorm ways to get everyone out of there as soon as possible. You're about to ask Tadashi if he can take you home when Alistair Krei approaches Hiro to inquire about his tech. 

"With some development, your tech could be revolutionary," Krei compliments with a grin akin to that of a fox, hands folded as he saunters forward. His presence alone worsens your nerves; he's been known to steal tech from people and claim it as his own. You don't want to see Hiro undergo the same fate.

Hiro allows Krei to observe the microbot, seemingly in awe that the wealthy man is even within a five foot radius of him. "Hmm, extraordinary," Krei breathes before addressing Hiro again. "I want your microbots at Krei Tech."

You share a glance with Tadashi, who seems about as thrilled about the idea as you are. Which is to say, not at all. 

Professor Callaghan walks into the conversation and interjects before Hiro can agree to anything just yet. "Mr. Krei is right. Your microbots are an inspired piece of tech," he muses. "You can continue to develop them, or you can sell them to a man who's only guided by his own self-interest." There's a blatant distaste, a hatred towards Krei in his tone that makes the air feel tense. You've never seen him like this, and you hope you won't have to again in the near future. It's like when your parent says they're disappointed in you; it's not a good feeling. 

Krei huffs with a roll of his eyes. "Robert," he starts calmly, "I know how you feel about me, but it shouldn't affect-"

"This is your decision, Hiro. But you should know... Mr. Krei has cut corners and ignored sound science to get where he is.

"I wouldn't trust Krei Tech with your microbots," Callaghan says bitterly, sending a pointed glare towards Krei, "or anything else." 

Krei tries to redeem himself, addressing Tadashi's genius brother once more. "Hiro, I'm offering you more money than any 14-year-old could imagine." 

Hiro seems to mull it over, leaving you and Tadashi almost literally on the edge of your seats for his response. "I appreciate the offer, Mr Krei," he says after a moment, "but they're not for sale." You don't miss the proud smile that eases its way onto Tadashi's face at that. 

There's a malicious glint to Krei's iris behind that businessman smirk of his. "I... thought you were smarter than that." Little does he know, huh? He adjusts the cuff of his sleeve, shooting Callaghan a scornful look and a hiss of the professor's name before beginning his walk of shame.

"Mr. Krei," Tadashi speaks up, hand extended, causing the man to stop in his tracks. "That's my brother's."

Krei looks him up and down with a look of what you can only define as _disgust_ before he pipes up - "Oh! That's right." - and removes Hiro's pocketed microbot, tossing it to the fourteen-year-old. He then turns away, mouth turning down in an indignant scowl as he and his assistant leave.

"What a piece of work," you huff. Tadashi grins, gently shoving you with a snort. 

With Krei out of the picture - _finally_ \- Callaghan pulls an envelope out of his pocket and hands it to Hiro with an easy smile. "I look forward to seeing you in class." 

Hiro gasps, gladly taking it once he realizes it's his college acceptance letter. The group erupts in cheers, pulling Hiro into the biggest group hug you've ever been forced to join in on. GoGo fakes being uncomfortable, but you can see the faint joy written on her face. You find yourself shoulder to shoulder with Tadashi, struggling to breathe. He shoots you the biggest smile you've seen on him in a while, and that's when you know this is the happiest he's ever been. 

You all waste no time leaving the showcase, especially when Cass offers to pay for dinner. You trail behind the group as Fred rants about how much he loves free food before you notice Cass, Tadashi, and Hiro aren't following you. You decide to see what's up, and Cass is mid-hug when you approach them. Before you can even ask if something's wrong, she's already excitedly running past you to catch up with the rest of the gang. You stand there for a second, absolutely confused, before your gaze drifts to look at the showcase building. You feel so small standing outside of it. 

A gentle hand on your shoulder jostles you back to reality. "(Y/N)? Everything okay?" 

You turn your head sharply, coming face to face with Tadashi. "I..." Something's not right. Something hasn't been right since you woke up this morning and you have to fix it. "I left something inside. I'll be right back." You surge forward, your shoulder slipping from Tadashi's grasp. If you were to glance back, you'd see the hesitation set in his brow as he contemplates rushing after you. But you don't look back, and you don't plan to until Tadashi is safe. 

The lights are suddenly too bright, the voices overlapping one another too loud. You feel as though the crowd you are trying to weave through is a wave dragging you under. If you stay here any longer, you'll drown. Everyone's pushing against you, in the opposite direction of where you need to be. You inhale, try to breathe. Then the doors close and it's quiet. The type of quiet that makes your ears buzz. There's only a few people left in the building with you now, chattering about the tech or how long they worked on it. You pay them no mind, slowly making your way into the showcase room where all of the tech is safely stored. 

You carefully walk through the room, looking around at all of the deactivated technology. It's almost eerie, in a way. You pause next to one of the projects, delicately picking it up when you hear a whisper in the distance. Setting it down, you scan the room for signs of life, eyes widening when you spot a shadow near the other side of the room. "Hey, you! What are you-!"

There's a large crash and, before you can even process the sound alone, suddenly each project is set ablaze. One by one. Images of your dream - _more like prophecy_ \- flash behind your eyes. The flames licking at your skin and consuming you whole. But you're not dreaming anymore. You're stuck, entranced by the dancing of the growing inferno before you. The blaring of the alarm and the sprinklers' poor attempt of putting out what is already far beyond the size of a bonfire is what breaks you from your stupor. 

You decide now would be a good time to get the hell out of here before you become barbecue. You really wish you'd been athletic in school at this exact moment as you struggle to keep your distance from the fire grazing your skin. You can taste the smoke as it begins to fill your lungs, pools of tears forming at your eyelashes. It's getting harder to breathe, to see, to keep going. Yet, you do. You make it outside, lungs constricting as you struggle to inhale as much oxygen as you can. And standing there, in all of his glory, is Tadashi Hamada. His beautiful brown eyes wide, mouth agape as his chest rises and falls with each rapid breath. He's mid-step to heading inside, because of course Tadashi Hamada would run into a burning building to save someone. To save you. 

Geez, maybe now isn't the best time to realize you're in love with your best friend.

It all happens so fast. Almost a split second. You charge forward and leap down the stairs, landing on top of Tadashi. Then there's white. There's sound and then there's nothing at all. You can't hear, you can't breathe. A force stronger than you has launched you and Tadashi even further to the ground, but you haven't realized this yet. You haven't even realized that you're still alive because you feel like you aren't. You imagined death would be dark and black and nothing. But there's just white and yellow and orange. A heat that makes you appreciate blistering summer days. Everything hurts. 

You manage to slowly blink your eyes open just a crack, but that action alone causes your brain to throb. Your hands sting as you roll off of the lump of... something beneath you. Then there's a pair of hands grabbing at your clothes, a voice so small and afraid that you can barely hear. You hear something that sounds similar to your own name and...

"Ta... shi.. Tad... shi."

"Tadashi," you feel yourself say. And suddenly, you're awake. "Tadashi!" Your ears are ringing painfully now and everything aches but you rely on the small amount of adrenaline pumping through your blood to keep you conscious. You lay your head against his chest, relieved when you hear his heart beating steadily. "H-He's okay," you wheeze, coughing into your arm. "Just unconscious." 

"Oh, thank God!" Hiro shouts, tears welling up in his eyes. He buries his face in his hands, scrubbing them away. "I can't lose you guys."

You pull Hiro into a hug despite your body protesting against each little movement. "We're not leaving you, Hiro," you mumble, becoming dead weight against him. Your eyes flutter shut as the sound of sirens grow nearer. 

Hiro's voice sounds distant as he grips your shoulders to no avail. "Hey... stay with me?" 

You gaze up at the night sky, the fire fading in the distance as you feel yourself floating. You blink and then you're somewhere else. There's paramedics, you think, and the roof looks like space. Your vision swims with mutters of _smoke inhalation_ and you feel them put an oxygen mask on you.

"What's...?" you manage to get out, brows furrowed at one of the paramedics.

"Don't worry, sweetie, you're gonna be okay," she says, eyes crinkling against her soft smile. Her black hair is tied neatly into a bun, but that's all you can seem to remember about her. 

"Dashi?"

"Never left your side."

You manage to crane your neck enough so you can look to your left. And there he is. Oxygen mask and all. His baseball cap isn't on his head and his hair looks messier than usual. You strain against the IV in your arm, letting out a sigh as you intertwine your hand with his own. It's rough and calloused, as yours probably are from your harsh landing, but it's a reassuring type of warmth that lulls you into a calm. You finally allow yourself to rest, closing your eyes and drifting to sleep. 

When you wake again, you're sure you've finally died. You're surrounded by... so much white. But then again, you don't think heaven or any kind of afterlife plays crappy soap operas on their crappy little TVs. The canola in your nostrils and the low beeping sound is enough for you to put two and two together and realize you're in a hospital. Right. That's right. The fire. Someone started a fire and you almost died. Your heart skips a beat in your chest.

"Oh, you're awake," someone says as they push aside a set of curtains. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh," you say, blinking at them. _Them_ being... Nurse Susan Cheng. "A little weird."

Cheng lets out a small laugh at your response. "That's to be expected. You were really close to the explosion." _Explosion?_

You sit up further so you can watch her check your vitals. "Is Tadashi okay?"

She gives you a knowing look. "He's in the waiting room, actually," she replies with a smile. "You took the brunt of the damage, I'm afraid. You suffered from quite a bit of smoke inhalation." She pauses to check a wristwatch. "We've been pumping oxygen into your blood for hours now. I think now's a good time for a check up."

"If I'm all good, can I go?" you ask excitedly. 

"Easy there, tiger. You've been through a traumatic experience," Cheng says, eyebrows raised high as she checks your temperature. She hums thoughtfully, gazing at the thermometer. "So far so good."

You watch as she moves around a bit, grabbing a blood pressure cuff. "You know, Mr. Hamada wouldn't shut up about you," she muses thoughtfully, an almost playful smirk on her face when your cheeks grow red. "He seems to care about you a lot."

"You think?" you mutter once she's done checking your blood pressure. 

"Absolutely. He practically begged every doctor in the facility to let him see you." Cheng pauses, pressing the diaphragm of her stethoscope to your chest. She gives you the breathing exercises, repeating the process a few times until she has all of her data marked down. Absentmindedly, as she writes your vitals onto her clipboard, she says, "He even claimed to be your boyfriend so we'd let him in."

You cover your face with your left hand - the one that _isn't_ sprained - feeling absolutely mortified for a reason you can't comprehend. "Oh my god."

"Of course, we didn't," she chuckles, pulling your hand away from your face so she can reapply disinfectant and change your wrappings and readjust your brace. "Just a few minor scrapes. They'll be healed within a week, but you'll need to pick up some more antibacterial spray from your pharmacy to make sure they don't get infected. I already had it sent over.

"The sprain, however, could take up to ten weeks. Try not to use it too much if you can help it."

You smile up at her shyly. "Thanks a lot... Ms. Cheng."

"Just doing my job." Cheng gives you a pat on the shoulder, making quick work of removing your canola and IV. "Dr. Nightingale already signed off on your discharge papers. All I need is for you to sign right here, then you're free to go." She holds up another clipboard for you and you swiftly sign your name where need be, after which she hands you a packet. "Alright, that should do it. This packet has your prescription and any other treatment details. I suggest lots of rest and taking it easy."

"Thank you. Again," you say. Cheng simply nods, waving you goodbye as you leave the room. You absentmindedly follow the signs that lead to the exit, left hand cradled delicately to your chest as you glance at the packet Nurse Cheng had given you. As you finally make it to the waiting room, you hear him before you see him. A loud _screeeech_ of wood against tile then a crash of a chair falling to the ground from someone standing up too fast, too abruptly. Then he shouts your name, which fully brings your attention to him. 

In the most cliché way possible, you feel time stop. Like a timer has finally reached its end. Like you're seeing each other for the first time. And maybe Tadashi realizes it, too, as he slowly approaches you, taking gentle steps as if trying not to spook a frightened deer. The sling encasing his right arm is a foreign sight, but the San Fransokyo Ninjas baseball cap resting atop his messy black hair is so familiar it makes your heart swell. You don't say anything to one another, just standing there and staring, wondering if the other is real. Then, delicately, as to not bring pain to either of you, you wrap your arms around him and hold him close. You feel his heartbeat, and you know for sure he's alive.

You can't help but wonder what things would be like if Tadashi weren't your soulmate. If you weren't granted the vision that allowed you to save his life. You can't imagine a life without him. He's your best friend, after all. It's been three days since the fire at the showcase, and the two of you still haven't had the chance to actually sit down and talk about... everything. Until Aunt Cass gets involved, that is.

"Alright, you kids stay here and don't do _anything_ , got it?" She gestures between Tadashi lounging on his bed reading a book and you spinning boredly in Hiro's rolling chair. She refused to let you stay all alone at your apartment and double-refused to let Tadashi wallow all alone in his shared bedroom with Hiro while she was out running errands. Where is Hiro? Who honestly knows.

"Yes, Aunt Cass," you both respond immediately; although, you'd stuck with simply _Cass._

"Good! Rest up, you cuties!" Cass beams, sending the two of you air kisses before giddily hopping down the stairs.

With the regular ball of sunshine gone, the air feels weirdly tense between you and Tadashi. You stop spinning in the chair, opting to twiddle your thumbs nervously instead as you pretend not to notice Tadashi glancing at you every 5 seconds. _God, I can't take this anymore._

"We need to talk," you say, except Tadashi also said it at the same time as you apparently.

You stare at each other in surprise before busting into laughter that clears almost all of the tension. "Yeah, we do," Tadashi chuckles, using his working hand to rub the back of his neck apprehensively. 

You slowly wheel yourself over to him, reveling in the way his grin grows at your dorkiness - well, as he puts it. You stop when you've successfully stumbled your way to the edge of his bed; he then scoots closer to you. "You start," you say, poking him on the nose. 

"You, uh..." Tadashi shakes his head, clears his throat. "I've been thinking about how to go about this but... it seems I'm at a loss for words."

You smile patiently. "Take your time." 

"How'd you-" He pauses again, brows furrowed. "You were acting extremely weird all day. You knew something bad was going to happen, didn't you?"

You feel your stomach drop. "I swear, I didn't-"

"I'm not saying you... planned the fire," Tadashi says carefully. "But, you definitely knew it was going to happen. Right?"

You stare down at your hands again, picking at the wrist brace. All of the blood in your body rushes to your face when Tadashi covers your hand with his own. Your body betrays you, forcing you to look up into his chocolate brown eyes. "I did," you whisper. Tadashi grins and leans back to reach for something, causing you to physically deflate. 

"You know what this means?" You can't see his face as he's turned away to look through his bookshelf, but you can hear the excitement in his voice. He's suddenly in your face again, holding a dark pink book out to you.

"What's this?" you mutter as you take it from his grasp. You flip it over to the front, your heart leaping in your chest. " _The Book of Soulmates_." 

"Page 37, paragraph 3, first sentence."

You turn to the designated page, which has a cute little panda bookmark in it, and read it aloud, " _Every soul is granted a premonition of their soulmate's death shortly before it happens, giving them a chance to not only meet their soulmate, but save their life._ " You gently set the book aside and shrug noncommittally. "Yeah, we learned about that stuff in grade school. What's your point?"

Tadashi pouts. "You know exactly what my point is." 

You sigh, "Are you sure that it's me? That you want it to be me?"

Tadashi takes your hand in his, his pulse at your fingertips. "Of course," he says. "It's always been you." 

As Tadashi Hamada does, he dove in first. Eyes fluttering shut as his lips meet yours, the faint cent of coffee and pine. You feel him smile against you, and you do the same. You go to rest your hand on his right arm without even thinking, quickly drawing back when he hisses in pain.

"Ow," Tadashi mutters, brown eyes blinking wide open. 

Like a slap to the face, the moment's over. 

The two of you stare into each other's eyes for a moment before his gaze slips to something in the corner. You instinctively follow his line of vision, eyes landing on that of Baymax's charging station. Which has a strange lack of the Baymax in question. 

Tadashi knits his brow. "Where's Baymax?" 

As if on cue, there's a loud chorus of cars honking from outside. You and Tadashi rush to the window to see what the commotion is, surprised to find Baymax waddling calmly through traffic with Hiro running after.

"Oh my god."

"That bonehead," Tadashi groans. "I'm gonna kill him."

You watch, dumbstruck, as he makes his way towards the stairs. He grabs his helmets from where they're hanging, nodding his head to you. "You coming, soulmate?"

You nod. "So long as you're leading, I'll gladly follow."

Tadashi grins. "We better hurry, then."

You take one helmet from him, blushing when he places a gentle kiss on your head. 

"Putting a pin in this conversation, but we're definitely picking up where we left off later," Tadashi says with a smile.

"I look forward to it," you say, 

And then you follow him. Into the unknown. 


End file.
